Pascal Wehrlein hopes the first victory in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for both himself and his Tag Heuer Porsche FE Team will give everyone confidence and momentum into the rest of the 2021-22 season.
The German put the disappointments of his previous visits to Mexico behind him to take his maiden win last Saturday, finishing just ahead of team-mate André Lotterer as Porsche showed a strong hand at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to clinch their first Formula E victory.
Early on, Wehrlein conserved energy and allowed others to pass him, with the energy he was saving giving him the advantage in the latter stages. And such was their domination, the team pushed for him to run an extra lap, which put others at a serious disadvantage as they were forced to slow to conserve energy in order just to finish.
Wehrlein says the team never lost hope as they chased their maiden Formula E win, while he was able to push the memories of lost wins in both 2018 and 2020 in Mexico away as he finally stood on the top step of the podium.
“I‘ve come close to winning twice in Mexico in the past so I’m delighted that it worked this time,” said Wehrlein, who moved up to third place in the Drivers’ Championship thanks to his victory from pole position. “The team had a great plan, although at first I wasn’t entirely sure it would work.
“After last season, we were under pressure, of course. But we never lost hope, we knew we had a good package and that if everything came together perfectly in one weekend, we would win. That happened today.
“I hope this victory gives the team new confidence. If we can carry this momentum to the next races, then hopefully things will be a little easier for us from now on.”